The PTE Academic exam assesses candidates’ fluency in English by examining their four skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

Each is built upon important language foundations, such as grammar and vocabulary.

This article by LUME Test will strongly focus on the top 10 most helpful PTE grammar rules, tips, and tricks to assist test-takers in excelling at the exam.

Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways

• Grammar practice is a key to your PTE success. 
• The 10 grammar rules in the article are the 10 most common grammatical mistakes many test-takers make. Read them carefully!
• Practice grammar by identifying word types, having a habit of reading the full text, and taking notes. 

Related:

• LUME’s FREE practice tests for PTE Academic
• Don’t miss out on these changes in the new PTE Academic format
• How to prepare for a PTE Academic test effectively

Why Is Grammar Practice Important?

Grammar is a fundamental core of every language skill. Indeed, if you want to write a coherent message, good grammar structures are utterly important. It helps connect different vocabularies and form an understandable sentence. 

A good grasp of grammar helps you express your thoughts and emotions better based on your vocabulary resources. 

So, if you wish to achieve a great result on the test, PTE grammar practice is indispensable. Here are other benefits:

• Logical thinking: Practicing grammar helps you form logical thinking about the sentence’s structure. A well-formed sentence and paragraph are writing pluses that examiners highly assess. 
• Clearer message: Proper grammar boosts your verbal message to a new level. It seems to be clearer and easier to comprehend. More importantly, you can avoid unexpected misunderstandings. 
• Improve reading skills: Grammar practice is also a key to improved reading comprehension. It enables readers to understand different nuances of the text, absorb diverse writing styles, and locate information more easily. 
• Help listening skills: Grammar also plays an important role in listening skills as well. Indeed, it helps listeners recognize the structure of sentences and parse and comprehend the spoken language. This seems essential in long and complex verbal sentences. 
• Reflect your competence: A strong command of grammar is conducive to the feeling of credibility. It somehow reflects your competence and attention to detail. Examiners will evaluate those who make grammar mistakes to the minimum, both in speaking and writing.  
• Freely express yourself: Practicing grammar helps enhance your self-expression skills. You can freely express yourself without grammar hindrances, including your thoughts and emotions. This is good for your PTE speaking section. 

Related:

• The only right way to book a PTE test!

10 PTE Grammar Rules You Must Remember

1. Mind The Past And Present Tenses

Pay attention to the present and past simple sentences, the most common grammar structures in the PTE tests. More specifically, it would help if you closely noticed the verb. Verbs in the present and past simple sentences are different. 

For instance, “go” in the present structure is converted to “went” in the past structure. This is an instance of irregular verbs. Given regular verbs, some include: play -> played, bake -> baked, study -> studied. 

Besides, “am/is/are” in the present simple sentence is converted to “was/were” in the past structure. These “to be” verbs are usually mistaken, so watch out!

2. Pay Attention To V3

Present and past perfect participle sentences are also common. Their grammar structures are more difficult than the present and past simple sentences. The general structure is: S + have/has/had +V3 + O.

But what is “V3”? V3 stands for perfect participle verbs, which are different from the two types of mentioned ones. For instance, “go” in the present simple structure is converted to “gone” in the present perfect participle sentence. That means: go -> went – gone (V3). 

Don’t forget “have/has/had.” This auxiliary verb is a must in every participle grammar structure. 

3. Use The Correct “To Be” Verbs In Passive Voice

“To be” verbs are always included in the passive voice, yet they are the same in all grammar structures based on the tense. 

For instance, if you are using a present simple sentence, “to be” verbs must be “am/is/are.” Given the present perfect participle sentence, “to be” verbs are “have/has been.” Here are some examples: 

• Your work will be done soon. 
• The house was painted by him.
• The recognition process has been completed. 

4. “To” + Infinitive Verbs

Using the first form of verbs requires the preposition “to.” In other words, the preposition “to” is followed by infinitive verbs, and you must not change their tenses or add “ing.”   

Below are some instances for you to understand more: 

• I managed to win first prize in the marathon competition. 
• This afternoon, she decided to study English with me. 
• I decided to tell my mom about my brother’s wrongdoings. 

5. When To Use Gerund

Apart from the preposition “to,” other prepositions, such as “for,” “of,” and “with,” are typically followed by “ing” in the word base. Verbs with “ing” forms are known as “Gerund” that function as a noun to enhance the sentence’s meaning. 

You may realize that verbs in the present continuous sentence are added with “ing.” However, they are not gerunds; they are still verbs. 

Here are examples of this grammar structure: 

• The advantages of playing sports are undeniable. 
• He apologizes to her for breaking her favorite glasses. 
• I’m capable of playing badminton. 

6. Use Correct Articles

Always take notice of articles, including a/an/the. They are divided into two categories: a definite article (the) and an indefinite article (a/an). 

“The” is often preceded by an uncountable or countable noun that implies a unique and one-of-a-kind object. For instance, the sun shines brightly, or I plan to travel to the South Pole soon. 

Given indefinite articles, such as a/an, they are attached to non-specific nouns. For example, I came across a dog in front of your house, or I want to purchase a car. 

7. Adjectives Should Come Between Nouns And Articles

If you want to add an adjective to enhance the noun’s meaning, place it in the blank between the noun and its article. 

You may find it clearer via this example: a gorgeous girl. In particular, “a” is an article preceded by the noun “girl.” However, “a girl” is too general. If you want to express her beauty, the adjective “gorgeous” can be added to the space between “a” and “girl.” 

8. Use Modal Verbs Properly

If you are unsure about an action or want to emphasize it, you can use modals, including “can,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “must,” “will,” “would,” etc.  

Here are some instances you should note: 

• Could you buy me a cup of coffee in the canteen?
• You should go to the dental clinic twice per month. 
• I can breathe under the water. 

9. Be Careful With “Many” And “Much”

Differentiating between “many” and “much” is necessary. Although both quantifiers describe the amount and volume, they differ in various contexts. 

“Many” is usually used with countable nouns, such as books, people, friends, cards, etc. On the other hand, “much” goes with uncountable nouns, including homework, money, meat, time, sugar, etc. 

10. Subject-Verb Agreement In Relative Clauses

Given relative pronouns (which/who/that/…), the following verb must be conjugated based on the subject of the relative clause. 

Below are some examples: 

• She is my teacher who inspires me a lot. 
• That is the document that changed my mindset. 
• Those are my neighbor’s dogs, which love to be fetched. 

PTE Grammar Tips And Tricks

Recognize Word Types

To conquer the grammatical challenge, you must identify each kind of word type. When you encounter a word, even if it’s strange or familiar, ask yourself: Is it a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb? 

Then, notice its surrounding words and follow unchanged rules about the sentence structure in English. For instance, an adjective is always followed by a noun. An adverb usually accompanies a verb to reinforce its meaning.  

Read The Text Carefully

Many people are too lazy to read. They often skim or scan if the text is too long. However, this technique only proves its effectiveness when you want to figure out the whole paragraph’s meaning quickly.

But to practice grammar, reading each sentence carefully is a must. Doing so helps you pay attention to details and correctly identify word types.

Take Notes And Make Examples

You’d better write the structure down when encountering an unusual grammar you haven’t learned. Writing aids in retaining knowledge more effectively than merely thinking about it. 

To grasp its use better, you should make an example with the word you’ve learned. 

Practice, Practice, And Practice

Memorizing many grammatical structures is not an easy task. You can only do so by practicing them many times. Try to be disciplined and practice daily; your effort will pay off. 

The Bottom Line

PTE grammar might be a nightmare for many language learners, but it becomes more manageable with a decent practice plan. This article offers just that!

With 10 helpful grammar rules, we are sure that you will avoid common mistakes that numerous PTE candidates make.

(Read our Vietnamese version here)